Small business owners can turn to Tiger Woods for inspiration

This article showcases two inspiring quotes and a few observations about those quotes that are relevant to our own journey over the often rocky road of building a successful business.

Vision, Hard work & Role Models

For this weekend’s post I want to get a little off the topic of local online marketing and publishing and talk about a subject near and dear to our hearts: our small business. Yes, the venerable small to medium sized enterprise or SME that powers much of the U.S. economy and that of the world over. I’d like to take a quick moment to discuss what inspires us, shapes our thinking and our motivation, and perhaps give you one example that I found inspiring today that I hope can help us both in our business. With that, here’s a recent quote from a new father and over-achiever that I found really powerful.

“I view my life in a way … I’ll explain it to you, OK?” he told his small audience in Florida. “The greatest thing about tomorrow is, I will be better than I am today. And that’s how I look at my life. I will be better as a golfer, I will be better as a person, I will be better as a father, I will be a better husband, I will be better as a friend. That’s the beauty of tomorrow. There is no such thing as a setback. The lessons I learn today I will apply tomorrow, and I will be better.” – Tiger Woods, from an interview written by Jaime Diaz and published on Golf Digest and ESPN.

….and this on what I’ll call Tiger Woods’ success ethic:

“But as gifted as he is, I know that every piece of swing that works the way he wants it to work, he’s had to fight for. He basically tells me, ‘You know how to work hard, so you’ve got the toughest part down. Keep learning and keep grinding. And see how far it will take you.'” – quote from Corey Carroll, aspiring Golf Pro and a friend and mentee of Tiger Woods

If you go on to read the entire article titled “The Year of Living Dangerously” you’ll see that much of Tiger’s new found wisdom and high performance is attributed to his father’s lessons, and the soul searching his father’s passing has produced, the ideas it has solidified, and the focus it has brought.

Three things resonated deeply in me about Woods’ quotes.

That Tiger is always driving towards the future

That he focuses on learning

That he works his ass off to make his future a reality (“keep grinding”)

Sounds like the definition of an entrepreneur or SME to my ears. It’s obvious from the story that Tiger has also found a way to integrate his whole person in his game (his business) and I think that’s a key takeaway as well. I know my choice to leave Corporate America after 20+ years to help raise my two youngest kids as a stay-at-home dad while starting a small business with my wife Shannon was the best thing I could have done. But it’s been really hard every step of the way and every day is a humbling learning experience. Can you relate? It’s difficult to stomach sometimes but it’s a sign to me that I’m on the right track as well. Sometimes we just need a little inspiration to keep fighting the good fight.

I’m going to keep learning and keep grinding and I’m also going to keep trying to learn from the lessons that my parents, my friends, my losses, and my wins have taught me. I hope I can learn from you as well. It would give me great pleasure to help you along on your journey as well, whether it’s sharing a tip on local search or the latest Web 2.0 marketing tactic, or maybe just a well earned laugh from a shared moment. I hope you’ll keep coming back for more of the same here at Local Na8ion and I hope you let me know some of your own inspirations in business and in life by leaving me a comment on this post.